The Ladies of Horror
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Winter’s Last Kiss
by Melissa R. Mendelson

He never told me his birthday.  When I asked him about it, he would change the subject.  Sometimes, if I pushed too much, he would get angry, maybe even throw a book or shoe at the wall.  Then, he would storm off and wait until almost the next day to talk to me, and then he would act like nothing ever happened.  But lately, he’s been getting nervous, and for a man that never showed an ounce of fear, I can now see it in his eyes.

They predicted snow tonight.  The sky looked like an awful mess, but it wasn’t cold.  It wasn’t warm either, and he insisted that we go for a walk.  I wanted to sleep, but he pushed now.  I finally gave in, and we went for a walk.  Most of it was spent in silence.  Then, he took me by the hand, and his grip was ice cold.  When I looked into his eyes, I barely recognized the man that I had fallen in love with.  It was like a strange beast was wearing his skin, and when the moon briefly appeared, I thought that he would devour me.  But instead, he kissed me deeply as if he were never ever to kiss me again.

“What is going on,” I finally demanded.  The dread was killing me.  It was killing him.  “Just tell me.  Please,” I cried.

“I never thought that I would meet someone like you,” and a tear slipped down his cheek.  “If only I knew,” and he slapped the tear away.

“It’s okay.”

“Today’s my birthday,” he blurted out.

Finally, he told me.  Why was it such a secret?  Why tell me now?  Then, I knew, and my heart dropped.  My knees buckled.  I barely felt the ground when I fell.  Tears flooded down my face.  I reached for him, and he reached for me.  Our fingers just touched, and then…  He was gone, and the snow started to fall.

 Fiction © Copyright Melissa R. Mendelson
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from Melissa R. Mendelson:

The Ticking

If we were masters of our own fate, what would you choose? Would you be wild and free until 21, or would you look forward to becoming wiser in your old age? Maybe, with the uncertainty of this life and horrific current events, you would choose to depart early, or would you live longer in hopes of seeing a better tomorrow? If you could decide when you would die, what would you choose?

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